Research presented by microbiologist Stephen O’Hara, CEO of OptiBiotix Health, at the Microbiome R&D and Business Collaboration Congress: Asia in Hong Kong on the 1-2 March 2017 demonstrated that OptiBiotix’s microbiome modulators can increase the growth and biological effect of specific microbial species in the human microbiome. The research was extremely well received at the conference, and OptiBiotix is speaking to a number of food manufacturers about incorporating its microbiome modulators into food products.

The oral presentation from OptiBiotix showed that its microbiome modulators have successfully increased the growth and biological effect of multiple species of microbe in human gut models, including their own cholesterol-reducing probiotic, LP-LDL®. By using the microbiome modulator, LPGOS, to increase the growth of LP-LDL® researchers reduced cholesterol as much as 27%.

This new research from OptiBiotix demonstrates the potential for the development of species or genera-specific probiotics to selectively enhance the growth and health benefits of existing probiotics. In addition, there is the potential for microbiome modulators, which selectively modify an individual’s microbiome to improve health, to be added to a range of food products.

Stephen O’Hara, CEO of OptiBiotix, commented, “The ability to create designer ingredients which can modify an individual’s microbiome to improve health is a hugely exciting development in global microbiome research and product development. We are also very excited about the prospect of incorporating our microbiome modulators into food products.”

The human digestive tract contains a complex and diverse ecosystem of trillions of bacteria. Recently, advances in molecular and analytical techniques (metagenomics, metabolomics) have permitted identification and quantitation of species and strains of bacteria that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract, their metabolic activity, and interactions with the human host. These studies have provided greater insight into the role of gut and their metabolites in health and disease.

OptiBiotix was formed in March 2012 by Stephen O’Hara to develop compounds which modify the human microbiome – the collective genome of the microbes in the body – to prevent and manage human disease.

The aim of OptiBiotix is to discover and develop microbial strains, compounds and formulations, which modulate the human microbiome and can be used as food ingredients and supplements or active compounds for the prevention and management of human metabolic diseases, examples of which include obesity, cholesterol and lipid distribution and diabetes.

OptiBiotix has established a pipeline of microbiome modulators that can impact on lipid and cholesterol management, energy harvest and appetite suppression. The development pipeline is fuelled by its proprietary OptiScreen® and OptiBiotic® platform technologies designed to identify metabolic pathways and compounds that impact on human physiology and bring potential health benefits. These platforms are applicable across a wider range of other human diseases.